Drafted (Field Commission) broke his group duck in game fashion in Thursday's 1200-metre G3 Al Shindagha Sprint at Meydan. Steered immediately to the outside as soon as the gates flew, the grey avoided all of the kickback as fellow Doug Watson runner My Catch (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) set the pace, dawdling through a :23.84 opening quarter. Given his head by Pat Dobbs, the gelding had improved to fourth around the bend and with a quarter mile to travel, ground his way into contention along the outside. Tato Key (Arg) (Key Deputy), a MGSW in his native land, surged to the head of affairs after five panels in :59.37, but Drafted kept finding to just edge that foe by three-quarters of a length on the line. Ibn Malik (Ire) (Raven's Pass) closed steadily to take third, another 1 1/4 lengths behind.
“In his last run, he was very unlucky,” said jockey Pat Dobbs. “He beat My Catch 6 1/2 lengths that day and had a lot of ground to make. He's younger and on the way up. I got into the race a little earlier than [I wanted], but he ran really well. He has to warm up into it and [close ground]. I just get him out of the kickback for the first two or three furlongs and then half-way around, he picked up the bridle and did it himself.”
Added Watson, “He just does not have that natural speed, but he tries every time for us and he has been a delight to train. The smaller field tonight probably helped him a little bit, because it kept him out of the kickback early, so he travelled a little bit better. It was a tough choice for Pat [to pick between Drafted and My Catch] because he thought if My Catch had drawn low, he might have gone with him, but I think he was always going to go with Drafted.”
Drafted enjoyed a brace of wins over this strip last winter, but until Thursday, his career highlight was a win over track and trip first up in the Dec. 6 Listed Garhoud Sprint beating Ibn Malik and Raven's Corner (Ire) (Raven's Pass) in second and fourth, respectively. The 5-year-old was a gritty second to the latter and one better than stablemate My Catch after a troubled trip in the G3 Dubawi S. on Jan. 3.
Pedigree Notes…
Drafted is a son of Canadian champion sprinter Field Commission (Service Stripe) and is the first group winner and lone black-type winner for his sire. His third dam is a full-sister to Maelstrom Lake (Ire) (Auction Ring), who won the G1 Prix Robert Papin and ran second in the G1 Prix Morny. Irish champion juvenile filly and G1 Moyglare Stud S. victress Flutter Away (Ire) (Lomond) is also under the fourth dam. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Thursday, Meydan, Middle East
AL SHINDAGHA SPRINT (SPONSORED BY JEBEL ALI PORT)-G3, $200,000, MEY, 1-31, NH3yo/up & SH3yo/up, 1200m, 1:12.34, ft.
1–DRAFTED, 126, g, 5, by Field Commission
1st Dam: Keep The Profit, by Darn That Alarm
2nd Dam: Profitably, by Olden Times
3rd Dam: Miss Cyprus (Ire), by Auction Ring
1ST GROUP WIN. ($19,000 RNA Ylg '15 OBSAUG; $35,000 2yo
'16 OBSMAR; AED40,000 HRA '17 GODSEP). O-Misty Hollow
Farm; B-John Foster, Barbara Hooker & Field Commission
Partnership (FL); T-Doug Watson; J-Pat Dobbs. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: 11-5-4-1, $341,633. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Tato Key (Arg), 126, c, 4, Key Deputy–Tatiana Cat (Arg), by
Easing Along. O-Yu Long; B-El Alfalfar (ARG); T-David Marnane.
$40,000.
3–Ibn Malik (Ire), 126, g, 6, Raven's Pass–Moon's Whisper, by
Storm Cat. O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum;
B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Musabbeh Al Mheiri.
$20,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, 4 3/4.
Also Ran: Nine Below Zero (GB), My Catch (Ire), Switzerland.
DRC Video.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
